The dealer is liable for the car but only the appraised 2012 used ZL1 price. Sorry, you probably cannot get a car that was cared for like yours had been at the price they will give you to replace it. I would talk to a lawyer. If you don't have a good attorney relationship you may contact the better business bureau, or call GM directly. If everything happened exactly as you described the dealership will eventually cover the loss, it may tike some time and patience.

Another reason why I would carry collector car insurance on my car and I do (on my 2001 Z/28 and 2010 Camaro). At the least you have an agreed value of what you set. When you have to settle with appraised prices you are screwed.

EVERY dealer reacts this way when this kind of thing happens. EVERY dealer that does this gets blasted all over internet blogs. EVERY dealer that does this is found wrong in court, yet the CONTINUOUSLY do this. Contact Jalopnik and Autoblog. Contact GM. Hire a lawyer.

First, contact Chevrolet Customer service and get the situation escalated within GM. They will take this seriously.

Second, lawyer up.

Exactly. Make sure that you get in touch with a decision maker, not a customer service rep. This involves writing a letter (sent via USPS, not email) to higher-ups at GM. They need to punish this dealer or at least force them to give you a new/newer car. Perhaps GM does this as a gesture of goodwill.

In the past when I have had problems with a company, even a big company, I have written letters to their executive offices. Sure, the mail is screened, but I always get a favorable response from the company. The executive usually has a "fixer" who goes out of their way to fix things for you.

Two other things you should do:

1. Lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Businesses hate having unresolved complaints on the BBB website. The dealer is no different.

2. See if your local news/paper has a "shame on you" type of segment. It's a long shot, but if you get to tell your story, it may shame the dealership into stepping up.

BTW, has the dealership already said that they won't give you a newer car? They should be going overboard to make this up to you.

If they don't, I'd raise holy hell. No reason you should be in this situation!

Not only is the dealership liable for your car from an insurance standpoint, but they have also committed a felony on a criminal level. An employee "of the dealership" STOLE your car and wrecked it. I would have their ass handed to them

I'm going to guess the paper you signed to have the dealership service your car has some fine print on it somewhere stating they are not liable for any loss or damages to your vehicle while it's in their possession. That's probably why they're telling you it's not their problem.

If the car is totaled, Isn't your insurance company going to reimburse you the market value of the car?

To me it's no different than if someone stole the car from in front of your house and totaled it. Your insurance company should reimburse you the fair market value of the car and then go after the dealership's insurance to get their money back.

If the dealership had any decency, it would pay the difference between what your insurance reimburses and the cost of a new ZL1.

Like others have suggested, get yourself a good lawyer and be patient. This could take a while to settle.

Looks like you just got yourself a brand new Z28! Look on the bright side! Watch Chevy contact you and be on their knees! Contact chevrolet and they should have that dealer shut down. Chevy has never been someone to treat their owners like that. Ugh reading this upsets me..

Yeah, this sucks. Probably worth a consultation with an attorney.
Otherwise, people love seeing these businesses called out on the local news.
Such publicity will cost far more in sales and service than helping you into a suitable replacement.

Looks like you just got yourself a brand new Z28! Look on the bright side! Watch Chevy contact you and be on their knees! Contact chevrolet and they should have that dealer shut down. Chevy has never been someone to treat their owners like that. Ugh reading this upsets me..